Mitsubishi pushing for hybrid ute

Diesel electric Triton utility under study.

Mitsubishi pushing for hybrid ute

20 March 2014David McCowen

Mitsubishi is working on a hybrid diesel ute that could re-shape the commercial vehicle industry in Australia.

Speaking at the launch of Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV, Australia’s most efficient SUV, executives laid plans for a next-generation Triton ute that could travel to and from worksites without using a drop of fuel.

The new Outlander hybrid combines a conventional petrol engine with a of pair battery-powered electric motors that offer a range of 50 kilometres.

Owners can charge the new car over the course of five hours before running driving it in battery mode. But unlike fully electric cars, the Outlander is capable of long road trips thanks to a conventional four-cylinder engine that can drive the front wheels or act as a generator for the motors in a similar fashion to Holden’s Volt.

The car’s official fuel figure is 1.9L/100km, well less than the 7.0L/100km or so used by most mid-sized SUVs. A diesel-powered ute version should be able to match or beat the Outlander’s figures.

Journalists at the launch of the car yesterday used between 1.7L/100km and 2.5L/100km on an 80-kilometre test loop in Canberra that took in a blend of suburbs, city driving and motorways, though many testers turned off their air conditioning and were careful not to exceed 80km/h or so.

Mitsubishi powertrain engineer and electric vehicle expert Takhide Abe says the technology will soon be extended to other cars in the range, including the Triton utility.

“Currently we are studying the use of the system in other models,” he says.

“The initial study is being done, but no exact development has been started yet for the pickup-PHEV.”

Mitsubishi spokeswoman Caitlin Beale agreed there are “no confirmed dates at this stage” for a hybrid Triton utility, a model set to be replaced this year.

Mitsubishi marketing director Tony Principe says the ute’s plug-in hybrid system would not be paired with a petrol engine.

“I understand they are looking at a diesel variant for those types of vehicles,” he says.

“We’ll launch the Triton with a normal diesel. There’s a new-generation diesel that we have to bed down first. [PHEV] will be at some point down the track.”

“We understand PHEV will go across all models with time.”

The technology is also likely to be a feature of the next-generation Pajero four-wheel-drive and ASX SUV.